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Players, particularly on offense, became enamored with Shaun Hill last season after watching him handle egomaniacal offensive coordinator Mike Martz. Undoubtedly, Martz engineered a prolific offense with his “Greatest Show on Turf” during Martz’s glory years in St. Louis. Martz’s offense was ahead of defenses at the time. But Martz also benefitted from his two Hall of Fame-type wide receivers in Isaac Bruce and Tory Holt.

Holt, Bruce and quarterback Kurt Warner were so good, Warner rarely had to hunt for a second receiver, something Warner admitted a year ago when talking to 49ers reporters before the 49ers-Cardinals ’08 opener. Warner also said defenses began to catch up to Martz which forced Warner to look elsewhere. When Warner was taken out of Martz’s system and when he was deprived of Holt and Bruce, Warner had to basically learn how to play football again because the game didn’t unfold systematically like Martz thought it would.

Martz, however, still believed he could scheme his way to success even though he didn’t have Warner, Bruce or Holt when he went to Detroit and then San Francisco. Certainly, Martz’s chosen quarterback last year, J.T. O’Sullivan, believed in Martz. But that turned out to be O’Sullivan downfall, because he believed in Martz too much. When a play under Martz’s scheme dictated that O’Sullivan fire a pass to a certain receiver, O’Sullivan threw it, whether the receiver was open or not. That confidence in Martz eventually led to a 11 picks from O’Sullivan in half a season.

A fed-up Mike Singletary eventually benched O’Sullivan and went with backup Hill. From the start, Hill recognized he had to break out of Martz’s system and make plays on his own. Hill was able to move past Martz’s system often by scanning the field and making his own determination on who would be open. Players recognized Hill’s play-making traits and they admired them.

Now what can Hill do with an offensive coordinator who actually suits his offense partially to Hill’s skills? It could be pretty good and might be one reason the 49ers will throw more than many anticipate.